Weaving A Delicate Lie
by Kusabiishi
Summary: Van had never told Sync outright to lie to Arietta. They had always hidden who he was, but what Van was proposing... "Tell her that you are the real Ion."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So, just a quick little one-shot I did. I was going to make it longer and had no intention of stopping it where I did, but... Well, I got to write that point and felt that it sounded conclusive, so I didn't keep going. Haha. I could just as easily keep building on this idea; I thought of turning it into a chapter story, even, but didn't have a clue where I could get this to go. So, unless I get caught in a wind of inspiration, this is probably it. But, either way, I hope you enjoy reading this! **  
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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Tales of the Abyss. Believe me, you would know if I did. **  
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**Weaving A Delicate Lie**

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"Tell her that you are the real Ion."

Sync raised a brow. While Van had always been showing off a very obvious deceptive nature, he had rarely, if ever, seen it as plainly malevolent as it was right now.

What had brought this on, he wondered?

Just last week, Legretta had suggested to Van that Sync be allowed to remove his mask—to show Arietta his face. But saying that he had refused would be an understatement. Van had been adamant about what he wanted done with the girl; he wanted her to know nothing of the fate of her precious Ion. Without a doubt, it was because he didn't want to lose one of his God-Generals.

If Sync simply pulled off his mask and told her of everything—that Ion was dead and he was a replication of him—then it was almost sure that she would commit suicide. However…

However, if she thought he was _Ion_, then she would fight like no tomorrow.

Van must have realized this. Sync's face was identical to Ion's. There was no doubt in his mind that, if he put on an act, then he'd be able to make this girl believe that he was honestly and truly Fon Master Ion.

So, for as long as she lived or as long as she _thought_ he was Ion, he would need to pretend to be some "pure" and _perfect_ replica? And he'd have to deal with being called Ion, too? The very idea of it sounded torturous—he didn't like it one bit.

But Van certainly wouldn't put up with him refusing this plan. He'd probably question his purpose, like asking him where he would find another one if Van took his away.

What a pathetic existence.

"So you're going to keep fooling her? Right to the very end?" Sync questioned as a smirk appeared on the visible part of his face. He couldn't disguise the fact that he really didn't care; he couldn't care less about what she did, whether it was committing suicide or being incredibly happy that her _Ion_ was still alive.

Okay, so maybe that was a lie.

The idea of her being _incredibly happy_ made him want to vomit.

"This is necessary." That was Van's answer to everything. It was necessary. It was almost as bad as that other defective replica, Luke, who liked to blame everyone else for his mistakes. "Arietta will become more effective if you do this; it will be easy for you."

Sync snorted. "Right," he muttered sarcastically, "That weakling and I are exact opposites."

"This Fon Master is, maybe," Van said, smiling eerily, as if he were about to reveal some kind of information that just might surprise Sync and with the way he was talking now, it probably would. "The original Ion treated her like a dog."

Sync raised a green eyebrow. That _was_ a surprise. The original Ion treated her like some sort of pet and she worshipped the very ground she walked on.

Sync didn't understand.

"This is going to be easier than I thought," Sync muttered, watching as Van nodded in agreement. He seemed to have predicted this answer. After all, Sync would find treating _anyone_ nicely to be the most difficult thing in the world, but he could treat _anyone_ like a dog.

All he had to do was pull off his mask, say he was Ion and pat her on the head like she was some sort of idiot and she would believe him.

Hopefully.

"So you will accept this assignment?"

Sync merely smiled, at first, before saying, in a distinctly _Ion_ voice, "Of course." It was possibly the most sickeningly sweet thing he'd ever said in the two years of his life. He wanted to laugh, too. It sounded just like him—he sounded _just like Ion_.

It was disgusting.

* * *

There she was, crying again because of something Dist had said about her precious _Ion_. Did she _have_ to be so _sensitive_ about these sorts of things? Somehow, he didn't think Dist's words would've bothered the Fon Master—not the original and not the replacement either. The fact that she was so put off by his comments was disturbing.

She was overreacting, at best.

"Stop talking about Ion like that, Dist!" she cried out as Sync watched from the other side of the dining table. Dist was wearing a sickening, fitting grin; he felt himself smirk. His change in expression, however, caught Arietta's eye. "What are you smirking about, Sync? You're just as bad!"

He laughed. He couldn't help himself. Her reaction was just so… _funny_. All this yelling and screaming about how _bad_ he and Dist were for making a jab at her precious, _pathetic_ Ion. What did she see in that weakling, anyways? He didn't get what was so great about him. He was the Fon Master; his father died, then he died, and he didn't doubt that his _perfect_ replica would die similarly, too.

"Whatever," he finally muttered, clearly unfazed by her accusations. Here, she was, calling _him_ a bad person for smirking when she didn't even know the one she had _loved _ever _so_ dearly had croaked somewhere along the way. She didn't see the difference—couldn't see it.

The fighting continued on between she and Dist after Sync removed himself from the argument. Instead, he settled with watching. How amusing it was to see her face grow red with fury over the comments that Dist made. As much as he abhorred Dist, Sync had to admit that he did well in provoking Arietta, until she made a jab at _him_ and the whole damn thing just turned into an annoyance.

"I am not a child!" she insisted, "If anyone here is a child, it is you, Dist!" Again, he smirked. A smirk that fell when she continued, "And you, too, Sync!"

He scowled, and felt an undying urge to knock her around some.

But then he remembered Van's plan. With his scowling face, he sent a warning glare to Dist. Though he could not see his eyes, he seemed to understand the gesture; Arietta did not. She merely looked on in confusion—and perhaps fear, too!—as Dist and his chair made their way out of the dining room.

She no longer pressed the idea of him being a child.

It was, he guessed, because although he was the youngest of the God-Generals, he was also arguably the strongest. His Daathic fonic artes certainly put a damper on the abilities of the others, and he could say that with confidence. Perhaps that made him arrogant, but it _was_ the cold, hard truth.

However, he had no idea whether or not he was stronger than the Commandant; he'd never fought _him_.

"Arietta," he spoke suddenly, grabbing the girl's attention. She sat wide-eyed, something akin to fear mixed in with curiosity—he could see it even from over here. While he continued, he stood and started to walk around the table so he might stand before Arietta, "Would you like to know a secret?"

She seemed surprised, but managed to nod. She looked as if she might jump up at any time and run for it, judging by the way she was looking at him. He didn't continue until he was right in front of her, either, "Good, because I'm going to tell you one."

"The Fon Master you have been chasing is an imposter."

Her eyes widened.

"Wh-what!" she exclaimed, dropping her doll from the sudden shock of being told this. "Y-you're lying!"

It was difficult to keep himself from smirking; he barely managed to keep his mouth drawn in neutral, serious line. He had only barely initiated this mission and already he disliked it. He still had to treat her nicely—somewhat nicely—and that meant he couldn't smirk or laugh or make jabs at her or her _precious_ Fon Master.

"I'm not."

Obviously, she didn't know what to think. Was he serious? Was he lying? Or perhaps he was playing a cruel, sick joke on her because he thought it was funny? Sync wanted to laugh. It was a mystery indeed!

"Th-then…" she paused, looking like she were about to cry. "Where's the real Ion?"

He didn't answer.

"You know, don't you? Why… why won't you tell—" She stopped. Sometime in the period she'd been yelling at him, his hand had come to his mask and moved it away from his face, revealing the familiar face of none other than her precious Ion. Nothing happened for a moment, but when it finally passed, she started to cry; she flung herself at him and he made no move to stop her as she wrapped her tiny little arms around the one she _thought_ was her precious Ion.

And she cried out the name-Ion-despairingly, yet with all the affectionate in the world.

He cringed.

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**A/N: **So, that's it! Tell me what you guys thought, if I fucked something up... It's probably obvious that I didn't edit this too much, so if you see something, feel free to point it out to me. Honestly, I'll appreciate it.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Yay! I decided to continue this! It won't be a hundred chapters long, though; I've estimated it to six or seven chapters, mostly focusing on the battles with the God-Generals. Well... At least the Sync and Arietta battles. My miniature plan is missing one, I think. Epic fail. Short story, I know, but hopefully, it'll be enjoyable to some. I might expand further on this when I go back and play through the game again, making notes of the Sync and Arietta appearances as I go. On another note entirely, I'm frustrated that Fanfiction apparently has a problem with how I do scene breaks and likes to erase them. And I just _now_ noticed. Aren't I just the brightest crayola in the box?**  
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**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, sadly. Especially not any of the Tales Of titles.**  
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**Weaving A Delicate Lie Chapter Two**

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Arietta the Wild had to be the sorriest excuse for a God-General there had ever been. Surely there were more people appropriate for the position, weren't there? The title being in her incapable and unprepared hands threatened to make them all a bunch of laughing stocks.

He found it had to believe that she was still thinking this whole "Sync is Ion" thing was true. Either he was a fantastic actor (He doubted that.) or she was as dumb as a fence post.

Honestly, he'd place his bets on the latter.

It was hard to believe that the teenager was hanging on to every word Sync and the Commandant said. How _stupid_ could one little girl be?

It was because she'd been raised by a bunch of monsters, he reasoned. What other answer could there be? If she'd been raised in some kind of civilization, he was sure that she would have more sense. She was far too trusting for his taste; it was like she thought nobody in the world _lied_, and that was precisely what they were doing.

They'd been doing it for two years, in fact.

She believed it all—everything! Every little lie was seen as the truth and nothing _but _the truth.

_How_ could she believe _any_ of them when she was told that Sync was the real Ion, after all the things he'd said about that weakling? How had she believed them when they'd said the reason Sync didn't like being called "Ion" was because it was longer his? _How had she believed them_?

It was just too unreasonable.

And now here she was, believing again, like she had everything else.

Here she was, being told by Van that they needed to abduct the _Fon Master_ to read the score and the reason _Sync_ couldn't do it was because being replicated had weakened his powers. And the sad thing was that she was eating it all up. She was hanging on every word as if it were the truth.

Sync almost felt bad for her.

Almost.

"I'm going with them." The very firm statement pulled Sync from his reverie, grabbing his attention as his green eyes landed again on Arietta the Wild. What was she talking about? She was going with them? As in… As in going with him? With Sync, Largo and Asch?

Van was already formulating an excuse to tell her not to go, but was unable to put it into words before Arietta continued, "I'm going with Sync!" It surprised him how adamant she sounded about attending. She had little to offer, and it seemed like a bad idea, but even the Commandant looked to be having trouble trying to think up an excuse to have her go with Dist and Legretta instead.

"Arietta," Sync spoke, his voice becoming softer, like Ion's. Obediently, she turned to face him. It was odd to see this sort of behavior coming from her, of all people; it was new, at least to him. "It's going to be dangerous," Sync continued, watching her face twist, showing her intense displeasure. "I would feel better if you stayed here." Suddenly, her displeasure was replaced by her smiling face.

And he felt the urge to puke; he liked her better the other way.

"Sync," she said sweetly. He almost blanched at the sight of her blushing. "I'll be fine; I want to go with you."

Then, Van responded to her, finally. "No," he said flatly, grabbing her attention. She looked as if she were about to protest, but Van continued, "Stay here." She looked disheartened, even as she looked to Sync for some kind of support, though she had to know she wasn't going to get it. However, he'd forced on a smile and this renewed her optimism; she nodded at Van, which awarded her a pat on the head.

* * *

This was absolutely heavenly.

After dealing with Arietta for several weeks, having to be nicer than normal-especially to her-to keep the lie intact, he was finally free for the time being.

It was wonderful.

He never thought it would feel so great to have to go out, kidnap the Fon Master's replacement and force him to unlock a Sepiroth, but suddenly, it did. It was great. It was _wonderful_. Or it would be, if Largo hadn't decided to wander up to him in the middle of his musing and ask him about that little wretch.

"Do you not feel bad for lying to Arietta?"

It was a stupid question, above all else. The answer was really very simple. No, he didn't. But that wasn't why it was stupid. They were lying, just as he was, only he was the one that had to hold _up_ this damn facade of being someone he wasn't. But here Largo was, ready to judge him for being _such_ a _monster_. By no means did this girl deserve ever ounce of _torture_ he put her through! No, no, of course not! She was _just_ a sweet, _simple_ little girl who desperately tried to cling to her lost boyfriend for two years without ever realizing that he was actually _dead_.

"No," he answered flatly after a moment and despite the flat line that Largo's mouth was drawn into, he had a feeling that the large man found that single word to be inconceivably despicable.

Not that Sync cared. At least Largo had the truth instead of some petty lie.

Honestly, with this masquerade Sync had was being forced to keep up with, he'd pretty much gotten _tired_ of lying. If there was one thing he disliked, it was having some girl hanging all over him and off _every little word_ he said.

Largo adverted his gaze, opting to stare at the path ahead, instead. Sync did the same, but the moment he focused on the task ahead again, he noticed Ion had turned his head slightly to look at the masked male. More than likely, he'd noticed his and Largo's conversation, but Sync personally didn't care whether or not he had overheard it or not. He had no idea what Largo meant—he had no idea what exactly he was lying to Arietta about. He just knew he was lying.

And Sync could be lying about _anything_. Literally.

But he was almost certain that that idiot would _never_ guess what it was in particular that he was lying about. He was almost positive that Ion had his suspicions that Sync was another replica of the Fon Master Ion, but he doubted that little naive twerp could think of him—a boy who had the face of Auldrant's precious _Fon Master_—doing something so _terrible_, like convince the poor pink-haired crybaby that the little weakling that was Ion was an imposter.

What could he say? He was just a terrible guy.

* * *

"Ion?"

Finally, Anise's words reached the Fon Master and he jolted, looking over at her, surprised. "Yes, Anise?"

"What's up with you?" she questioned, resting her hands on her hips and puffing out her cheeks as most of the others joined in staring him down. Some appeared worried, while the others seemed simply interested. "You're spacing out more than usual!" she clarified when he blinked at her owlishly, looking utterly confused.

"I am worried about Arietta." This revelation seemed to surprise the others as they all stood there, blinking at him curiously, practically begging for him to explain what he meant. After all, it seemed like the God-Generals were his enemies now; to worry about them might seem like a terrible idea. "It was something Sync and Largo were talking about," he continued, "Largo asked him… if he felt bad about lying to Arietta."

Anise's eyebrows shot up. "Really? What's he lying to her about?"

"I don't know…" Ion answered, "They didn't talk about it after that…"

"It seems the God-Generals might be dealing with a few problems of their own," Jade butted in, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Perhaps we could use this to our advantage." Ion looked dismal at the idea, obviously not really wanting an edge over the God-Generals—they were people, too, after all, striving for whatever goal they thought was right. But it was true that they needed one. Grouped together, the God-Generals greatly overpowered them. The others almost struggled to take care of Sync and Largo earlier, in their fight against them. Asch hadn't even needed to join in.

And Sync's fonic artes…

"Man…" Luke began, grabbing the attention of the others, "Who _cares_? We're wasting time!" He stalked off, only watched by his companions first before several started after him.

But Anise and Ion stayed fixated in their spots for a moment before the girl released a cry of outrage. "Ugh! Who does he think he is? Can you believe that guy?"

"Anise…"

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**A/N: **I know, I know! "That wasn't a whole lot of anything," right? Well, I think it's pretty safe to assume that this is gonna be more focused on Sync's feelings as he plays "Ion", rather than any real _action_. Skipped the battle with Largo and Sync mostly because I'm lazy, not to mention! It was boring, it was lame, I know. Sorry. I have fun writing Sync's personality, so I like focusing on it. A lot.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Back again with the third chapter, guys~ I wasn't initially planning on having Sync change this early, but I clipped off the forth chapter because I figured it would end up too short and just added it to this chapter. I probably could've stretched it, but I didn't. Got the end scene for the whole battle at the Radiation Gate. I figured it'd be better just to have the long chapter than two short ones over a period of time. xD Hope this gets some love from you guys, despite the fact that it doesn't do a whole lot of delving into the story. I don't think there was much of Sync's "voice" in this chapter, either... At least not as much as it felt like there was in the first two. Sorry! **  
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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of the Abyss, though I do own a _copy_ of it! Not that that counts... **  
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**Weaving A Delicate Lie Chapter Three**

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After all that relaxing Sync had been able to do by going to the Zao Ruins, he was dismayed upon returning to Daath and, much to his chagrin, he found Arietta standing right there at the gate. She was waiting for him.

And the moment she saw him, she jumped up from where she'd been seated and called out, "Sync!" Several of the civilians turned to stare at the god-generals. The girl seemed excited to see him and that surprised the people of Daath. She practically charged him and he got no help from the other two god-generals, just as he would expect.

He couldn't help but twitch as she leapt at him, wrapping her arms around him yet somehow managing not to drop that damn doll she carried around all day long. Yet somehow he managed to force on a smile. "Good afternoon, Arietta," he said, his smile falling when he noticed her frown. "What is it?"

She reached up, putting her hand on the mask that he wore to hide his identity and in response, he stiffened.

"Why do you still wear this?"

Her question, he found, was idiotic. It was obvious that he wore it so no one would know who he was; surely she didn't think being told that he was the "real" Fon Master meant he was going to come out and declare to the whole world that the current Fon Master was an imposter. That would be foolish, wouldn't it?

"Because," he started, mulling over a series of responses and trying to find one that was actually _appropriate_ for the personality he was supposed to have. "If I did, Arietta, _I_ might be accused of being the imposter."

She blinked up at him, peering under the mask into a pair of green eyes before removing her hand from his mask. Then she pouted. "But you're the real one…" The response didn't surprise him, but her next one did. "I thought about it," she began, "The Ion that I was chasing after for two years is too nice."

This revelation surprised him. She seemed to recognize the difference in the façade that Sync had up and the personality of the seventh replica of Ion.

She honestly believed that he was the real Fon Master Ion—the one that, two years ago, had died.

For the first time in his life, Sync felt guilty.

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"We will distract Tear's group, and you, Sync, will sneak onto the Tartarus."

"What about me?" Arietta questioned, looking up at the blond woman who was relaying Van's orders. It seemed like all the other god-generals had gotten some kind of order, except for her. Legretta and Van were heading to Sheridan with Sync and Largo and Dist had already gone out on other orders a few days before.

"You'll be staying in the cathedral until further notice," Legretta said, looking at the teenager sharply when she jumped up from her seat, looking ready to protest. "That's a direct order from the Commandant," Legretta told her, "Arguing is pointless."

"B-but…" she muttered, "I-I want to help!"

The room was silent. None of the three god-generals spoke for a moment, until Arietta continued, "I don't want to sit around! Please, let me go with Sync!" Sync looked up at this, paying more attention to her words now as she pressed on, "Together, we can—"

"Arietta," Sync spoke, silencing the girl just by saying her name. "Stay here." His words were simple, but she didn't try again, even though she looked like she wanted to. Legretta looked at him, somewhere between disapproving and approving. After a moment, Arietta finally nodded and he smiled at her, reaching up and ruffling her long pink locks.

She smiled, though she looked at him sadly, as if she thought he might never come back and in truth, he probably wasn't going to.

The Radiation Gate was not only going to be the grave of those idiots, but also the grave of Sync the Tempest; it seemed she was beginning to recognize this. "Sync…" she muttered, still looking at him sadly. She wanted to help him and he recognized that, but he obviously couldn't let her. She would be a burden, without a doubt.

Finally, she nodded.

"Thank you, Arietta," he said, this time with a smile forming on his face. It was nothing close to genuine, of course, not that he had such a thing as a "genuine smile", anyways.

He looked up at Legretta, staring at her for a moment before she understood what the gesture meant and she spoke, "I'll see you in Sheridan then, Sync." Arietta barely spared her a glance as she departed, more focused on the Fon Master that was before her. It was almost depressing how she didn't know who he really was, but in a way, it felt… _nice_.

It was the oddest thing.

Deceiving Arietta might not be the nicest thing Sync had ever done, if he'd ever done anything nice in the first place, but in doing this, he felt he was succeeding in the purpose they'd foreseen him incapable of committing to: He had replaced Fon Master Ion.

He had become the Fon Master—Ion—and suddenly, he didn't have anything to be bitter about anymore.

"Sync," Arietta began, pulling the replica from his reverie and causing him to look up at her. She stayed quiet for a moment before continuing, "Promise me you'll come back." Her pink eyes glanced up at him, practically pleading with him to make her that promise, even though he got the feeling that he wouldn't be able to keep it.

He also got the feeling that she knew that, too.

They shared a moment of nerve-wracking silence in which neither of them moved. Arietta was looking up at him hopefully, wishing for him to give her some kind of answer, and he sat there, mulling over those possible answers. He could always lie to her, couldn't he? He could say he would, only to die there with those idiots.

Something told him he shouldn't. Something _asked_ him not to—practically shouted it out at him. But Sync the Tempest didn't listen.

"I promise I'll come back, Arietta."

She smiled, believing him and fully ready to hold him to his words as she nodded. His lack of bitterness gave way to sadness, then. Look how _happy_ she was! What would she say when Legretta told her that Ion's band of idiots had returned from the core, but Sync had not?

"I should get going now," he said after a second of watching this smile form and feeling this ridiculous emotion known as guilt pool in the pit of stomach. She didn't look happy to see him go, even as she bid him farewell on the doorstep of the cathedral, and he cursed when she called out to him as he reached the bottom of that flight of stairs.

"I'll be waiting!" she said.

* * *

So this was how it was going to end for him.

He was going to die here, at the Radiation Gate and he had known that from the very start, but his plan to take Ion's band of idiots with him had failed utterly. Sync had put up a good fight, but he had still been outnumbered and his two years of experience could only go so far. Thus, he had lost. Not only had he lost the battle, but these idiots had also managed to split his mask clean in half, revealing to them what his face looked like.

And in the face of this defeat, Sync did _not_ forget his promise to Arietta. Never once did he forget telling her that he _would_ return, but it seemed there was only one way to do that.

He wasn't about to resort to siding with these self-righteous ignoramuses to keep that promise. He would much rather break his promise than be forced to keep it in that way. He would _never_ allow himself to side with any of these people—especially not _Ion_.

Even though he was supposed to be him, he hated the very idea of him with a passion.

Or at least… he was _trying_ to. Sync had managed to replace Ion. Even if it was only in the eyes of one annoying little girl, he had finally managed to replace him. He couldn't open Sephiroths or read the Score, and even his Daathic fonic artes had limitations, but he had still managed.

He had managed to replace him—his original purpose that had been thought of to be out of his reach had finally been fulfilled.

And that was where all his bitterness had gone.

It had been drained out of him.

Even as he made some long speech about how he and the seventh replica of Ion were different and backed up to the edge of the Tartarus's bridge, Sync felt no real bitterness. A small smile even spread across his face as he spoke, "And now, my usefulness has run out." And then he fell backwards into the bright abyss below.

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**A/N: **Where the next chapter goes is pretty obvious, I think. A review with your thoughts is much loved, you guys!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Yay, I finished the next chapter~ Definitely didn't think I'd be putting it out today, though I was intending to finish it and put it up _yesterday_. Damn me for smashing out my indecisiveness one hour too late. I toyed and fidgeted with the last line for almost the full two hours this has already been finished. So it's late now and my mum is bugging me to get my ass to bed, what with having school in the morning and all... But whatever.**  
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**Disclaimer: **Do not own, sadly never will own.

**Weaving A Delicate Lie Chapter Four**

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Having fallen into the core, the last thing Sync had expected to do was wake up. He had been fully prepared to die. However, Van seemed to have other plans as he'd brought him back, giving him just a little of Lorelei's power in order to do that and send him back to the surface of Aldrant.

Now, Sync had a mission to do- he had to defy the wishes of Kimlasca and Malkuth. He was to travel from city to city, gathering up villagers and reading the score to them; they were using Mohs and this would only help Van's plans for this Sync had something else he had to do first, which was why he was now standing before Daath's cathedral.

Arietta, he had been told, had yet to leave.

People stepped aside wherever he walked now, making gestures of respect as he passed; it was all because he wasn't hiding his face that was identical to Ion's. Oddly enough, he didn't mind it at all. He even went so far as to allow himself to crack a smile.

He had finally managed to replace Ion in every aspect. With the power Van had granted him, he could truly fulfill every expectation and duty of the Fon Master. Honestly, it felt great, not just being respected, but having the power to hold onto that respect.

It was nice, to say the least.

But what was even nicer was stepping into the cathedral and finding only two souls standing in that very first room. A set of pinkish eyes looked at him incredulously, seemingly trying to figure out if she was looking up an illusion or if the person that stood just across the room was truly the one she thought was the Fon Master.

Arietta glanced up at the man beside her- Largo- and smiled when he nodded to her that it was no illusion. She looked back at him now and took a few steps forward, obviously still in disbelief. Her smile grew to one almost euphoric when he didn't move or disappear and finally, she did what he'd been expecting her to do: She charged forth and wrapping her arms around him, crying out, "Sync!"

Her face twisted with a sort of sadness, causing Sync to surprise himself by returning the embrace. Then, she began speaking, "I-I th-thought you were-" She broke off to sniffle and stifle a sob. "I thought you were dead!" The proclamation didn't surprise him, even when her voice cracked and her small body shook with a plethora of emotions that Sync probably couldn't even name if he dared to try.

"I thought I was, too, Arietta," Sync admitted.

* * *

"He's not the real one!"

Arietta's exclamation had shaken the party to the core. Here she stood before them, claiming that the Fon Master they had traveled with for so long was not the _true_ Fon Master. At first, Anise had thought she had sunk into such a deep, dark depression that she'd conjured up some phony little story in her head in denial.

"No!" Arietta yelled, disproving everything that Anise had originally thought was the problem. "Sync almost died because of you! I'll never forgive you, Anise! I'll never forgive any of you!"

"Sync...?"

The pink-haired teen nodded vigorously at the question. "You all lied to me, but Sync... Sync... He told me the truth! And I'll never forgive you! I'm going to kill you all!"

She moved to thrust her doll into the air, but paused when Anise yelled out to her, "W-wait, Arietta! Whatever he said to you, he lied! Sync lied to you!"

Pink brows furrowed at the statement, but not with confusion. Instead, her face contorted with rage. "No, he did not, Anise! Sync would never do that!" She shook her head at the idea, refusing to believe that it was, in any possible way, true. Because it wasn't. It simply _wasn't_. "_You're_ the liar!" she continued accusingly, throwing the doll that she was usually clinging to on the ground. "You and... You and that _replacement_ are the liars!"

She'd been strung along by these two idiots and finally, Sync had confessed to her that he had been by her side the whole time- two whole years had passed and she had never realized that the Ion she'd chased after for so long was a fake.

There weren't words to describe how guilty Arietta felt. He must've felt so... _betrayed_ to have her chasing after someone else. She had _vowed_ to defend him and be there for him and be only by his side and what had she done? She had done the exact opposite.

She had _insulted_ him. She had chased after a _fake_.

Arietta had been so far away from his side that she was unworthy of still being in his good graces. Certainly, her beloved Ion was simply too kind to her.

"She is obviously not going to listen," the necromancer announced to the group.

Anise looked surprised at his words. The God-General might've been able to argue that she looked almost dismal, but Arietta wisely ignored the emotion she saw on her enemy's face as she pointed at the group before and called out to her monster friends, "Go!"

* * *

Something was wrong.

Something was _terribly_ wrong.

Sync the Tempest had not awoken to gentle prodding of a certain teen this morning as he had previously been accustomed to. He'd inquired about the girl's whereabouts only to receive a sorry excuse before the person dashed off, moving quickly away from the replica that was growing more irritated with each evasion.

What had that idiot done? Where had she gone? It was strange that she would tell him nothing of her departure and simply disappear. To make matters worse, Largo was also nowhere to be found.

It made a person wonder. It made _him_ wonder. Where had they gone? Why was everyone so protective about the information and why was it _he_ who was the only one that _didn't_ know? However, all these questions were irrelevant when it came to the most pressing of questions: Why did he have a terrible feeling in his gut?

She couldn't have... No. Surely she didn't go off to fight with Ion's band of idiots, had she? Arietta wasn't _that_ stupid, was she?

He considered that for a moment before he cursed loudly, realizing that yes, she was.

* * *

Everything hurt. Each attack that her opponents threw at her sent she and her friends to the ground, but they only got up time and time again. Her brother's fur had become matted with his own blood as he'd taken hits in her place, but he showed no signs of wanting to give in to the whims of their opponents, and her friend's wings had become torn at the edges and more than a few of his feathers littered the battlefield that had once been the den of her mother and her many brothers and sisters.

Everything was fading. The scratches and the cuts and the gashes that her enemies were inflicting on her added up and with each passing minute, her surroundings became harder and harder to distinguish. Her enemies became a mess of colors and her brother's cry of defeat came to her as a thousand echoes off the den's barriers.

All she could see was a mass of blue and a plethora of neutrals melting into it approaching her as a bright color was summoned to the disorganized canvas- a bright, uplifting green that drew a small smile to her face.

Green. That color reminded her so much of Sync.

A blade drifted over her skin and she landed heavily on the very ground that her mother had fought and died on, a halo of crimson beginning to pool around her. Her mouth slipped open and she was sure she cried out, but nothing accompanied the action. With all her might, she tried to push herself back up onto her feet, but her body simply wouldn't obey her demands and finally, she gave in and collapsed onto the floor of this dirty home of theirs.

"Sy-Sync... It hurts...!" she sobbed as hushed voices gathered around her. Not a one stood out amongst the crowd, except for the devastated apologies of a girl younger than herself- a girl who she'd thought had stolen Ion away from her.

Even as the last of her vision drifted away as she began to doze off, all she wanted to do was thank her.

* * *

Sync felt as if he'd been running forever.

He felt as if he'd been running forever and yet he hadn't dared stop once despite the fact that his heart was pounding fitfully in his chest and his legs demanded some kind of pause.

Sync the Tempest couldn't hide the fact that he was in distress- didn't bother even trying to hide that he was feeling worried. The second it had occurred to him where Arietta was, all common sense had fled him. Person after person had been pummeled until one had finally piped up and confessed to him the location that Arietta had gone to.

Why hadn't it hit him earlier that she had left for the Cheagle Woods?

And finally, after all this running he'd been doing, he was almost there. There was no chance in hell that she would survive this encounter without that damn Fon Master around to stop the necromancer from lopping her head off as he'd wanted to do initially. And there was no chance in hell that that bastard Largo would block such an attack. He'd let her make her own decisions and watch as she was killed right in front of him.

He wouldn't let that happened. He couldn't.

Or at least that's what he thought before Largo came from in-between the trees. What Sync's green eyes laid on made him come to an abrupt stop. She was there, limp and pale and covered in her own blood. If that hadn't told him what he needed to know, Largo's sullen expression would've told it to him.

Finally, he let himself collapse, and he wrote to the world a letter of his affliction with a cry of fierce outrage.

* * *

**A/N: **Yup. I _still_ killed Arietta. I am such a terrible person... and such. Iffy about how the whole death thing worked out because I was listening to... _chipper_ music while writing it for some reason. So now I will kick myself in the ass and make sure to keep myself to my own appointed deadlines now and I will shamelessly poke you all in the direction of the poll on my profile so I may use you all as fodder to fuel the fires of my motivation. ... I hope. Don't forget to tell me if I failed somewhere, too.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Yay for me being alive! Sorry for disappearing for almost two whole months, but, you know, school, procrastination, natural laziness and new video games don't mix well when it comes to things such as this. Haha. But you know, I really don't have an excuse. Still, at least I'm updating. I was convinced when I started writing this chapter that this would be the last. I'd originally planned out six chapters, but revised the outline when I got further than expected in one of the other chapters. Now I'm back to six chapters again, I guess. I really hope you guys enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Me? Own Tales of the Abyss? You're funny.**  
**

**Weaving A Delicate Lie Chapter Five**

* * *

Sync's rage knew no bounds. Whether it was the fact that he was already angry to begin with or if it was that every little tiny thing made him blow up, it was far too obvious to deny that he missed the sixth member of their little team.

With Arietta gone, the youngest of the God-Generals had lost himself in his own frustrations. Poor innocent replicas would feel his wrath upon approaching him and even the other God-Generals had opted to steer clear of the irate replica. The final plans were being made and each time any names from _that group_ was mentioned, his fingers twitched. No one had voiced the fact that he'd paced the entire time, practically engraving a path into the wooden floors of this new base of theirs.

But the name that had really made him want to slaughter every last person within reach of him, _just_ to see if it quelled even an inch of his unfathomable anger, was _Jade_.

_That damn necromancer_.

Largo hadn't even needed to tell him who'd landed the last blow on Arietta for him to know who had done it. _The necromancer_. No other bastard was _heartless_ enough to take the life of a grieving girl- a girl that they all had so blatantly _lied_ to.

Then again, he chided cruelly to himself, Sync had done the exact some thing. He'd lied. He'd lied to that damn girl about _everything_. A sigh of frustration escaped him as the realization caused his anger to melt into something entirely different: Depression. In the end, he'd lied just as much as Ion's group of idiots had. Not only that, but he hadn't even managed to catch on to what she was doing fast enough to save her life.

He was more defective than he'd originally thought.

But hadn't she gotten something out of it? Hadn't she died happier? Happier than what she would've died if she'd spent her time crying her eyes out about how Ion had ended up dead because of that fool, Anise?

Yes, he thought, this had been more pleasant.

In the end, she'd been better off this way, hadn't she? She'd died happier. Even as he tried to convince himself of this, that unfamiliar feeling of guilt came back again to haunt him, producing a terrible pain in his gut and making him almost feel nauseous. "It was better," he tried again, pausing before repeating the phrase, emphasizing each word in an attempt to coax himself into believing them.

In the end, it had been Sync who had killed her.

It had been that _damned necromancer_ who had landed the killing blow, but it had been Sync who had led her onto that path. He had led her onto that path- that path to her death.

And he had left her there.

And now she was dead.

Because of him.

* * *

He had asked Van if could go after them- those bastards that had murdered the pink-haired God-General. He had asked and demanded and had pretty much literally thrown a fit. He'd even dared to say, "Please"!

Granted, that please had been in the form of a roar, but it had been a "please" nonetheless.

Even after all that torturous and degrading begging he'd managed to force himself to do, the answer had still been an immediate and firm "no". Van simply wouldn't allow him to hunt them down and take their heads off himself. Van reasoned that it was because with Arietta gone and Asch being a traitor, he needed the form of them to stay put. This included Sync. There were only four God-Generals left, and Van couldn't afford to lose any of them.

It was shortly after that conversation that Van had sent Dist after them.

* * *

" You _stupid son of a bitch_!"

Set of blue eyes barely glanced up at him as he entered the room, the doors slamming against the walls as he crashed. The lack of a reaction made Sync's brows furrow further, as it only proved Van to be guilty of sending _Dist_, instead of Sync, after those bastards. Sync could tell; the asshole didn't even bother to try and _hide_ it.

"Why Dist? You _knew_ that I wanted to go and kill them all, and- _why Dist_?" The Commandant still did little. In fact, he turned back to what he was doing. Sync growled. What kinda of bastard _was_ this guy? They were down to four God-Generals and he sent _the weakest of them_ after a group of six people? And here he'd thought Van had at least _half_ a brain!

"You're too distracted."

_What_? He was _what_? _Distracted_? He laughed. It was a cruel, hollow laugh that wove a short tale of the mixture of emotions that were tormenting him, moving from the guilt he was feeling to the hatred that was beginning to consume him again. Van didn't seem to hear it as he continued, "I can't trust you will use the power of the Fon Master efficiently while in that state."

Sync hands tightened into fists as the Commandant spoke. Despite its truth, the replica could feel his anger swell at his words. What the hell did he want him to do? Did he think this _ state_ would be changing any time soon? No, it wasn't going to. Not until he was able to look down on that bastard and watch him swim in a pool of his own damn blood.

Nothing would change until he was allowed to do that.

"_You are not to go after them until you've calmed down."_

Sync bristled and was about to continue, but a sharp glance from Van bid him to do otherwise. "_ Fine!_" Sync relented, retreating from the room angrier than he had been before, the doors slamming shut behind him and once again startling any passersby.

All he could do was sit around and _ hope_ that that _damned necromancer_ was getting what he _deserved_.

Too bad that that just wasn't realistic.

Sync didn't want him to get what he deserved. He didn't just want him to die. Oh _ no_, _he_ wanted to be the one to strike him down and make him _beg_ for his pathetic life. He wanted him to beg as his own spear ended his life and he wanted him to lay there, dying, as those little groupies of his mimicked him, all surrounded by their own little halos.

* * *

Dist had failed. Sync had expected that result. He'd known it was going to happen right from the moment Dist had thrown it in his face that _he_ was going to get to kill that damned necromancer.

His impending failure had been so obvious, yet Sync had been the only one to see it coming. He had even foreseen Largo's death at the hands of those very same people. They were just too weak. They were _all_ too weak. Legretta would even end up dead- he knew this because he had more sense than the others did. He knew it because it was . It was , yet the others paid no mind to it.

Even as they moved on to their finally step, none of the others realized that this plan to destroy Lorelei would end in failure.

But none of that mattered.

For the first time in his life, he didn't care whether Yulia's Score continued to exist or if it was destroyed. All that mattered was his revenge.

All that mattered was the death of that damned necromancer.

* * *

**A/N: **Uhh... So I think I screwed up on the Van being there part. I excuse myself from my mistake for the fact that I haven't played TotA in over three months. It's all part of the AU, I mean. [/Shot for lying] Seriously, though, I'll probably fix it when of these days. Later. Eventually. ... Hopefully. After I go through the game again and find a more appropriate way to arrange this chapter. Or something. ... Or maybe I'll never change it and go along with my "this is an AU" bit. Haha.

But sorry for the not-so-hot chapter. A portion of it was churned out over the course of two hours when our power went out and I had little else to do. Besides be productive, but whatever. Anyways, that portion was edited and got brutalized with red ink and over-criticized by yours truly. The other portion? Not so much...


End file.
